So my search for a traditional German Pumpernickel recipe started. What I learned in my research is that the color of the bread, should not come from adding things to the bread, but more from the actual cooking process. So, any recipe that I found that had cocoa, or coffee was immediately disregarded. What I found out is that the reason for all of those shortcuts, is that making actual traditional German pumpernickel is very, very time consuming. So if you start this today, you should be able to eat it 3-4 days from now.
The first thing I noticed when starting this, was the lack of ingredients, especially yeast. I remembered from my sourdough trials and learning that rye flour is often used to make a starter, as it is high in natural yeast. So to start, I had to gather some of the ingredients, because I don't usually have an extra supply of bulgur wheat sitting around the house. So off to the bulk bins at my local grocery store. Many of the flours can be quite expensive if you buy them pre-packaged, so try to find them in bulk if you can. Bob's Red Mill Flour Dark Rye Organinc, 22-Ounce (Pack of 4)
Cracked Wheat no.2 Bulgur, 32oz
The actual mixing of the ingredients was fairly easy, as this is a no knead dough, so you just mix them on in a large bowl. You end up with a really thick, heavy, batter like dough. Grease two bread pans, and divide the dough/batter between the two pans. Smoothing out the dough was a little tough, as it was really sticky and wet. Once done though, grease up some plastic wrap, and prepare to wait for a bit. Once I prepared the bread pans, I put them out to rise, and develop. Well, 24 hours later, they looked the same as when I started. It was a big, heavy, lifeless looking pan. I wasn't sure if it was actually going to turn out. Then as I was going to bed on day 2, about 30 hours from making loaves, I looked at the pans once more. I thought that they looked a tiny bit bigger, and that there was a little movement in the dough, but it was very slight, so it was hard to tell. I wasn't sure if it was just wishful thinking.
When I woke up on day 3 I couldn't wait to see if there was any progress overnight. Well, the dough had actually rose all the way up, and was touching the greased plastic wrap. So I want to emphasize the importance of greasing the plastic wrap, as it was vital to preventing the bread from sticking to it when it was done rising.
Now it was time to bake the bread! In order to get the water in the pan hot enough to be steaming, I turned the oven way up for about 15 minutes, as I forgot to put (boiling) water in the pan. Then just opened the oven for a few minutes to get the temp back down to only 225. I removed the plastic wrap, which made the dough make some interesting noises, as the dough was crackling and popping, and greased and tightly re-wrapped the pans with foil. Now it was time to actually start the baking.
2 hours into the baking, I noticed the foil was rising a bit. It was very hard not to want to look. I just let it do its thing though. At 3 hours, the house was becoming more fragrant. So at 4 hours, it was time for stage 2 in the baking. I finally got to look at it. I was able to remove the foil, and it was interesting to say the least. I turned the oven up to 325 and once the temp on the oven got there, I put the loaves back in the oven for another 40 minutes of baking.
So after 3 days of steps to get to this point, I was surely hoping that all this effort was worth it. I wanted to have a slice, but yet, I had to wait another 24 hours for it to "cure". So I wrapped it up once it was fully cooled. Below is a picture of the bread at about 15 hours of curing. I have never had to wait so long for something that I am baking.
The moment of Truth! I just sliced the bread, and had it with some cheese. It is a very heavy and dense bread. So make sure not to make the slices to wide. I sliced them about half the width of typical sliced bread. The bulgur made for a nutty texture, and the flavor was definitely natural. The strongest flavors were near the edges, and it didn't matter which edge; top, bottom, or sides. I do have to admit that this will end up being more of a novelty than a staple, as I prefer many other types of bread for my standard sandwiches, along with the 4 day cook time of this bread. But if you are serving this to guests, and you want a great story to go along with it, then I think you have found a great bread.
Traditional German Pumpernickel Bread
Taken from The Practical Encyclopedia of Baking
4 C. rye flour2 C. whole-wheat flour
2/3 C. bulgur wheat
2 t. salt
2 T. molasses
3 ½ C. warm water
1 T. vegetable oil
Lightly grease two loaf pans and set aside. Combine the rye flour, whole-wheat flour, bulgur wheat and salt in a large bowl.
Mix molasses with the warm water and vegetable oil. Add liquids to the flour mixture and combine to form a dense dough. (You do not need to need this bread at all, just mix with a spoon.)
Divide dough between the two prepared pans, pressing it into the corners and leveling the top. Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place for 18-24 hours (the longer the better).
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 225 F. Remove the plastic wrap from the pans and then cover them tightly with aluminum foil. Fill a roasting pan or other large baking dish three-quarters full with boiling water and carefully place on the lower rack of your oven. Place covered loaf pans on the top rack directly above the pan of water. Bake the loaves for 4 hours.
Raise the oven temperature to 325 F. Uncover the loaves and add more water to the pan below them if needed. Bake for another 40-45 minutes or until the loaves are firm and the tops crusty.
Let cool in the pans for a few minutes before turning out onto a rack or towel to cool completely. Wrap tightly in plastic and let “cure” at room temperature for 24 hours. Serve sliced thinly, topped with cold cuts or pate.
(makes 2 loaves)
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